Fear

Han Wuxian sat cross-legged on a man's back. He was on all fours, sweat streaming down his face like a brook, yet he didn't dare move a muscle.

Kneeling across from Han Wuxian was a young woman. Her back was ramrod straight, but up close, it was clear she was trembling uncontrollably.

Nie Zeng and Tie Linglong stood on either side, each with a saber drawn, facing more than thirty martial-arts toughs armed with a hodgepodge of weapons.

They were surrounded, yet Han Wuxian acted as if nothing were amiss, carefully combing her long hair with her fingers. She seemed to think that the fierce-eyed men encircling her were all admirers, here to admire her peerless beauty.

Everyone had heard of this woman's fearsome reputation. Some believed the stories; others dismissed them. They were Central Plains men, unafraid even of the masters of the Northern Court. Why should they fear a witch from the Western Regions? A short, stocky man in his forties stepped forward with his saber raised. "Hall Master Han, the Brotherhood Gang has no grudge against you. Why come here to pick a fight and abduct Deputy Chief Zhao?"

Deputy Chief Zhao was the man Han Wuxian was sitting on. Reduced to a woman's "mount" in front of everyone, the Brotherhood Gang members felt both humiliated and outraged.

Han Wuxian freed her right hand and gently stroked Deputy Chief Zhao's head twice, as if he were a well-behaved dog. "Tell everyone why I've been so good to you."

Deputy Chief Zhao still didn't dare move. His voice trembled as he said, "I deserve ten thousand deaths. I was seduced by a traitor to Moonlight Hall and secretly joined the Great Desolate Sect."

"What is the Great Desolate Sect?"

"It... it's an outer branch of Moonlight Hall."

Everyone